Blog List

Same old Gophers

October 3, 2009 - Per Peterson

The Golden Gophers football team proved once again to its fans Saturday that no matter how much things have changed, they’ve stayed the same. It’s the same old offense — good in one phase, mediocre in another. It’s either run or pass with this team, but never both. It’s the same old defense, too — not good enough to get the job done for all four quarters. Sure, they might be faster than they have in the past on that side of the ball, but there still not good enough, probably never will be. This team wants to play the best teams in the country — they take on USC the next two years, then have Texas coming in a couple years after that — but let’s be honest, until you can consistently finish in the top three in the Big Ten (whether it’s an up year or a down year in the conference) you have no business playing those powerhouse teams. On Saturday, the Gophers had Wisconsin in the home opener for the 2009 season and TCF Stadium. You want to be considered an elite team, you pound on the Badgers from the opening kickoff and beat them into the ground. What do the Gophers do? They turn it over on their first possession and quickly get down 7-rock. You want to be considered an elite team, you make adjustments at halftime if you can’t pound on them, then take it to the opposition in the second half. Not only did the Gophers not take it to them, they got run over, literally. This defense is horrible against the run, and the offense is one-dimensional. Good luck the rest of the way Gophers, and good luck against the Trojans next season. You’re gonna need it.